Guest bananacreampie Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hey Kirsteen, As I am sure you have heard, the more trendy areas tend to be 17th ave and kensington. I am not sure what exactely you are looking at, but on http://www.mls.ca I would click the SW area and look at areas like Mission and Erlton. An area that is kind of neat is Marda Loop/ Garrison Woods area, it is west of downtown, but has a cute feel, everything is quite new, you can find this area under "altadore/river park". There are obviously condos right in the downtown core or the west end. Looking here will just give you an idea of the types of housing in these areas (as well as age of buildings, etc..). To actually find rental places, the website http://www.calgaryhomes4rent.ca can be not too bad. For me, location was a huge decision, being on transit for longer than 20 min is a pain. The transit website for calgary (http://www.calgarytransit.com) will show exactely which buses go to the hospital. In terms of 17th ave, it really is a mix, during the day there are lots of coffee shops and shopping, quite a few restaurants, and then clubs at night, in Calgary however, the clubs are quite spread out, throughout downtown and area. Off of 17th ave there is also the 4th st area, which is considered quite trendy as well. There are tons of apartments in these areas. Eau claire is neat during the day, but like you said tends to be more expensive, and pretty quiet at night. On the north side of the river, kensington is quite close to the areas of hillhurst, west hillhurst and sunnyside. I know lots of grad students that live in this area. Lots of coffee shops and more pubs like places in Kensington. Vacancy rates are actually quite high in Calgary (compared to less than 1% a few years ago), so many areas have been dropping their rental rates. Sorry I kind of talked on for quite awhile, I have been spending a lot of time looking at all the areas in calgary, deciding where I want to be as well (plus I have lived here over 20 yrs), so if you have any other questions, let me know. I actually have decided on Point McKay which is right on the river just south of the med school, because I can walk, take the bus, ride my bike, etc...without living next door to the school. cheers, bcp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi there bcp, Thanks for all of that information. I'll definitely use it to delve a little deeper. There's a good chance that I'll head out to Calgary for a wee bit prior to moving out, to get a better feel for the different areas before making a housing decision. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Downtown is not very residentially friendly at all. There have been a lot of trendy (and expensive) condos going up on the periphery of downtown lately, so that could change as they try to lure the yuppie crowd down there. Just like the coffee shops tend to shut down early, so do the stores (like drugstores) that are in the downtown core. And no grocery stores. Now if you have a car or are inclined to take the train, you can access shopping and the rest within a few minutes, so it might not matter to you. When I first moved to Calgary I was obsessed with living downtown, thinking it would be awesome. I lasted 2 months and moved to Kensington where I was much happier - where the streets weren't deserted and things didn't shut down at 5:00. To be honest, I don't really know anybody who has enjoyed living right in downtown Calgary. The new condos downtown are quite smashing, but very $$. You could most likely find something bigger and cheaper in one of the other "good areas" - Kensignton, Hillhurst, some of the neighbourhoods off 17th Ave, I stress the word "some". We bought in Varisty Estates, which is a five minute car ride away. Lots of choices actually. As mentioned, it is much better than a few years ago when there was literally almost nothing to rent or buy anywhere in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi there marbledust, Thanks for your input, too. I'll check those neighbourhoods out as well. With respect to them, by the way, are there new condos going up around there too? Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Kensington is a pretty established neighbourhood, so I don't know if there is much there in terms of "brand new." On my last drive through Hillhurst and Sunnyside, which are the neigbourhoods just adjacent, I noticed that there were some houses being ripped down in preparation for some condos to go up. Same thing in some of the areas off 17th. Nothing like the amount of development that has gone on downtown, where I last counted about 8, gigiantic condo towers that are new. Most of these neignbourhood went through condo booms during the frenzy of building that has been going on in Calgary within the past 2-3 years. So if you are looking for something relatively new, instead of brand new, I am sure you will find something in any of these places. The Mission area off 4th Street and 17th Avenue SW, which was mentioned by somebody above, had quite a few new buildings when we were looking a few months ago. After trolling through all these neighbourhoods and more while trying to make a decision on where to buy just a short time ago, I am overloaded with condo/house information lol. My new neighbourhood is Varisty Acres, which is on the other side of the Foothills/University near the new Children's Hospital. Some brand new, kinda cool condos and little houses there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scottcurry Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Heidio, Could you please tell me the name/address of the condo area you were scoping out? thanks! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heidio Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Hi Scott, Sure. The address is 80 Point McKay Crescent. It's in the Riverside Towers in the neighborhood of Point McKay. Let me know if you need any other info. If you are looking for a place you should check out the mls webpage (below). Just click on the neighborhood you're looking in. "C" stands for condo, "H" stands for house. Heidi www.calgaryrealestate-goo...tricts.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drtfw Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Hi everyone, I have already posted this on the housing forum, but thought I would try here as well. I really would prefer to room with a fellow med student, so I don't want to post else where just yet. I'm looking for a roomate to share a 2 bedroom condo. The location is excellent...the shuttle bus to the hospital is right outside the front door (5-10 ride to school). It about a 10 minute bike ride, and 5 minute drive. The Lion's park LRT station is also right outside the front door, and a 5-10 minute ride will take you down town. It's a luxery condo located right at North hill shopping center. The condo is fully furnished except for the one bedroom that's up for rent. I have extra furniture if you need some for your bedroom. There is a washer/dryer in my condo unit, as well as all kitchen appliances, and a gas firplace. You would even have your own work area, and a bathroom with a shower. All the amenities - including 30 seat state of the art theatre, fitness centre, game room, private indoor mall entrance, etc- are included. Check out the website http://www.northhillcondo.com for details. Rent is $500/month, which includes all utilities except electricity. Phone and internet are yet to be hooked up. Let me know if you are interested, and I will gladly show you around. I would prefer a female roommate, but am willing to consider a guy as well. See you all in August! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jerika81 Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I'm not looking for a room mate, but those north hill condos look beautiful and I imagine you have a great view too. And having a Safeway right below you would be super convenient! My boyfriend and I always talk about how nice it would be to get a condo there when we move in together. Someday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Edwarder Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Re: North Hill Hi, I sent you a message regarding the North Hill Condo...please get back to me soon as other people are waiting for my responses to offers of rooms/accomodations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drtfw Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Hi Edwarder, For some reason, I didn't get your message. Would you mind sending the message to my email account please? tfwu@ucalgary.ca. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drtfw Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Edwarder, I finally got your message, and wrote you back. Check your inbox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Hi there, I found a great place to live near 17th and 14th Ave. (Hopefully when I'm back in town at the end of July, I can have a bunch of you over for a get-together on the terrace. ) A quick question for those of you who live downtown, or know it better than me: although I saw a cheese shop and umpteen chocolate shops, is there a good grocery store somewhere downtown? Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 I found a great place to live near 17th and 14th Ave Congrats on finding a place so quick. Do you mean in the vicinity of 17th Ave and 14th Street SW? If so, nice area. I spent some time living in that area. Unfortunately not a lot of grocery stores in that area. There is a Safeway on the corner of 8th Steet and 11th Ave. There is also a Super Drug Mart on 14th Street and 11/12 Ave that sells groceries, including deli and bakery products. There is also a small food store on 17th Ave not far from 14th Street - I can't recall the exact address or how far down 17th it is. It's near the Macdonalds if I am not mistaken. Good selection but quite a bit pricey compared to Safeway or Co-op. And you are very close to one of my all time favorite places in Calgary: Fair's Fair used book store on the corner of 17th and 14th. I am frequently there. Usually followed by a stop at The Chocolate Bar accoss the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Hey there marbledust, Thanks for all the tips re: the shops. I'll have to have a closer look when I'm there. I managed to nip into a restau this weekend and received a tip re: a good butcher shop with fab sausages--Spolumbos (sp?). Do you remember the name of the wee food shop by McDonald's perchance? As for the location, the condo itself backs onto 17th Ave. SW, but the entrance is off 14A St. It's in the same block as the Chocolate Bar, I believe. (I'm still trying to get used to all the Avenue/Street/SW/NW, etc., designations as well as the horizontal traffic lights. ) I didn't spot the Fair's Fair bookstore while I was there as it was hailing/pouring when I was in the area and was legging it to the car, as opposed to languidly perusing the area. I did find some shelter in what seemed to be a great wee alternative CD shop, again though, I can't recall its name. By the way, what's the Chocolate Bar all about? Cakes and sweets, or more? By name, it sounds like quite a dangerous place to have in the 'hood. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bananacreampie Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Hey Kirsteen, Spolumbo's is in Inglewood on the east side of downtown (9th Ave). I am sure you will find lots of places to explore in the area you are moving. So I guess this is a for sure for Calgary!! Can't wait to meet you all in 4 weeks. To everybody: Lunch, Thursday July 8th at Luciano's (just across from the hospital on 16th ave) at around 12:30 pm. Hopefully you can stop by, if even for a little bit. PM me if you need more info. If there are any 2nd or 3rd years around, we'd love to meet you too. cheers, bcp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest frogcanada Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Hey everyone Posted this in "Housing" too - I found a house with a friend of mine in "upper west hillhurst" - it's a three bedroom and we're looking for a third roommate (male or female). (We're two very easygoing and fun females around 30 y.o.). It's just two blocks from Northill Mall and a 20-25 minute walk or 10 minute bike from the Hospital. Safeway around the corner and the Lions Park LRT stop (with shuttle or so I hear) also two blocks away. It's a brand new renovation with 5 appliances, big backyard with beautiful deck and garden. It's $433/month plus gas (new furnace, so estimated to be between $30 and $50 a month depending on season). Gas fireplace too! Big windows - beautiful! Anyway, send me a message to my EZ inbox or email me at wardenwinky@hotmail.com FC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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